The moment Ryosuke warned Shisui, he didn't waste time with theatrics—he went all in.
Five Gates of the Eight Gates Released.
Bright blue-green steam hissed out from his pores like an erupting geyser. His chakra roared through the woods like a shockwave. The air itself seemed to tremble as the Fifth Gate—the Gate of Limit—burst open.
If you want to hit someone like Shisui Uchiha, who can vanish in a blink using Body Flicker, you need one of two things:
Widespread AOE attacks to hit all his clones at once.
Or speed. Insane speed. Fast enough to tag him the moment he reappears.
And in this small wooded training ground, launching something like a Grand Fireball Jutsu would be a no-go.
So Ryosuke leaned into what he had: pure, explosive taijutsu power.
Shisui's eyes widened. The chakra pressure rolling off Ryosuke was unlike anything he'd ever felt—tangible, crushing, lethal.
This guy's not the same person he used to be…
Shisui had heard of Might Duy, the so-called "Eternal Genin" who opened all Eight Gates and died taking down four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. He hadn't seen it personally, but the battlefield scars left behind told the story: devastation.
Now, although the steam coming off Ryosuke wasn't red-hot like Duy's final Gate of Death, it radiated raw danger all the same.
Shisui tensed—eyes darting between his four clones—ready to swap at any second.
Ryosuke didn't hesitate.
In a blur of light and motion, he was already in Shisui's face, fist arcing forward with terrifying speed. The punch landed—sort of.
Boom!
It slammed into Shisui's image—but Ryosuke knew instantly it was a clone.
He twisted on his heel and lunged at the next one. Missed. Another punch—another clone. Shisui's Body Flicker technique made even the Sharingan struggle to keep up.
Every time Ryosuke struck, Shisui swapped positions with a decoy at the last possible second. It was like fighting a hall of mirrors where the real enemy never stood still.
Damn. He's fast. Even with the Gates open, I can't pin him down. Shisui really is something else…
On the other side of the clash, Shisui was sweating bullets.
Literally.
If he had been even a fraction of a second slower, he'd have been pulped. Ryosuke's punches weren't just fast—they hit like small-scale tailed beast bombs.
I'm lucky I scattered my clones early on. Otherwise I wouldn't have time to think, let alone dodge.
But even Shisui could sense something was coming.
Ryosuke had stopped. He was gathering energy. His stance was clean, sharp, focused.
He's charging something up… what is he planning?!
Then it happened.
In rapid-fire bursts, Ryosuke struck the air itself—firing invisible shockwaves from multiple directions.
Each impact was aimed at Shisui's four clones—and his actual position.
They weren't flashy or glowing. They were pure force—vacuum punches moving faster than sound.
Shisui's heart sank.
There was no time to dodge.
He knew what came next.
His eyes spun rapidly. The tomoe blurred, merged—then bloomed into a four-pointed pinwheel.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
A massive skeletal form erupted around him.
Susanoo.
The translucent green ribcage and skull encased his body, just in time to catch the incoming shockwave. The forest exploded behind him from the missed blasts. Shisui grit his teeth as the impact still rocked him inside the Susanoo's core.
Even protected, he staggered.
His four clones? Obliterated.
Gone in clouds of dissipating smoke.
Shisui let out a breath. That had been way too close.
Without Susanoo… I'd be in the hospital. Or worse.
He stared across the field.
Ryosuke stood calmly, the mist of his opened Gates still swirling around him like the breath of a dragon.
He really is terrifying. To rattle Susanoo with pure taijutsu? Who does that?
The rumors didn't lie. Ryosuke had defeated three Kage-level opponents single-handedly. And now, Shisui could see why.
But then something caught Ryosuke's eye.
Those swirling Mangekyō pinwheels—Shisui's eyes were alive, vibrant. Unlike Fugaku's, which had seemed cold and drained, Shisui's burned with fire and clarity.
And that's what made Ryosuke's alarm bells start blaring.
Wait. His Mangekyō is awakened… could he be trying to use Kotoamatsukami on me?!
He'd read the lore. That genjutsu wasn't like others. It didn't just trap your senses. It overrode your will—made you want to obey.
No illusions, no tricks—just pure mental domination.
And that made it the single most dangerous ability Ryosuke had ever faced.
Even with the Eight Gates open… could I resist something like that?
Probably not.
That jutsu didn't operate like traditional genjutsu. It didn't manipulate chakra to deceive the senses. It invaded the mind directly. If it hit… it was over.
But then—just as panic started to swell—
A voice rang inside Ryosuke's head:
"Your Sharingan has sensed mortal danger. Emergency evolution triggered. Mangekyō Sharingan unlocked."
Ryosuke blinked, stunned.
He could feel it—the heat behind his eyes, the spiral of power, the sudden shift in vision.
His Sharingan had evolved.
A grin ghosted across his lips.
Perfect timing.
He exhaled, calming himself. If he could just channel chakra into his pupils…
Then it happened. His Mangekyō flared to life.
Not just stronger eyes—his eyes. His unique Mangekyō, his own lineage.
He hadn't even tested his special ability yet, but it didn't matter. Just having the Mangekyō gave him resistance to genjutsu on a whole new level.
If I'm lucky, maybe my eye can cancel out Kotoamatsukami altogether. If not… well, I'll find out the hard way.
Either way, he was no longer helpless.
Ryosuke clenched his fists, steam still hissing from his skin.
Taijutsu is one thing. But this is the world of illusion and chakra manipulation. No matter how strong you are… you're screwed if your brain gets hijacked. Time to level the field.
He took a step forward, ready to test his new power.
But then…
Shisui raised a hand.
His Susanoo began to dissipate. The glowing skeleton vanished in a swirl of green embers. His Mangekyō faded back into a regular Sharingan.
He gave a tired smile. It wasn't defeat. It was acceptance.
"I give up," Shisui said simply. "Ryosuke… you win. Your strength is real. You're incredible."
Ryosuke blinked, caught off guard.
For a moment, there was silence. Just the crackling of chakra residue fading around them.
Then Ryosuke nodded.
Shisui's expression was honest. No trickery. No schemes.
For now, at least, Kotoamatsukami wouldn't be used.
But Ryosuke knew better than to relax.
One Mangekyō user down… but there's still Itachi. Still the elders. Still the future massacre looming over the clan.
For now, though?
He had won.
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